£35K WORTH OF DRUGS FOUND AT STUDENT’S HOME
26-YEAR-OLD ‘LOST HIS WAY’
A PROMISING university student “lost his way” after he was caught with nearly £35,000 worth of cannabis in his home.
Yasser Aljumely, 26, was stopped by police in December 2018, where they found five cannabis plants in the back of his car.
It lead to the uncovering of a much grander operation in which police searched his home finding two cannabis factories with plants “dotted” all around the place.
Aljumely was driving along Princes Avenue on December 13, 2018, when he was stopped by police for driving without insurance.
He pulled over his car and walked over to officers who could smell cannabis upon him. A search was carried out and they found a plastic bag and two rolls of cash.
“The police went to the car and searched it and on the back seat was a builder’s rubble bag containing five large cannabis plants,” said prosecuting barrister Paul Genney at Hull Crown Court.
“The prosecution say that there is a reasonable inference that these plants were being delivered to some grow somewhere.”
Aljumely was arrested and police searched his home in Bowland Way the next morning, where his partner, Emma Ashton, 26, was present in the property.
Officers found a cannabis factory in one of the bedrooms and in the loft, with a total of 19 plants dotted around the house, as well as harvested and dried cannabis.
Mr Genney revealed to the court that the street value of the drugs found in the house was a total of £34,500.
Police also found £3,900 of cash stashed in a bedside cabinet and underneath a sofa. Ashton was also arrested.
Mr Genney said: “Mr Aljumely’s mobile phone was seized and he declined to disclose the pin. Eventually this was bypassed and there is a full examination of messages on that phone.”
An investigation into the phone found that there were more than 18,000 text messages from April 2018 until Aljumely’s arrest in December, with the majority concerned with drug dealing, including one message relating to dealing cocaine.
“In one message, Mr Aljumely appears to be supervising another grower in the area called Luke and is telling them where to move his tent when the gas man calls.
“The investigation concludes that Mr Aljumely was employing others in the production of cannabis.
“A customer asks for grams but the defendant said he only goes down to ounces, but will pass the customer on to one of his runners.”
Aljumely, now living in Shannon Road, was brought before Hull Crown Court on Friday to be sentenced for the production and supply of cannabis and concerns in the supply of cocaine.
His partner, Emma Ashton, also of Shannon Road, appeared in the dock alongside him facing sentence for possession of criminal property and supplying cannabis.
Charlotte Baines, mitigating for Ashton, argued that her client had played “a lesser role” and had “less culpability” compared to her partner.
Judge John Thackray QC sentenced Ashton to a 12-moth community order.
Mitigating barrister for Aljumely, Mr Hunt, said that his client was “ashamed” of the man he was two years ago.
“He has asked me to start by apologising to court and the public for his offending behaviour,” said Mr Hunt.
“Over the two years since his arrest he has had a long time to think and he is deeply ashamed by what he has done and looking back upon the person he was then.
“It is unusual for a man to come before the court for offences of this nature with a clean record. The pre-sentence report outlines a bright university student who lost his way into drug dealing.”
Mr Hunt explained to the court that Aljumely had “turned his life around” in the two years since he was arrested by becoming a successful businessman, a hardworking family man, and also giving back to the community.
“He has effectively been given a chance to prove himself and, in my submission, he’s done everything he could to show that he intends to pursue a law-abiding life.”
Judge John Thackray QC admitted that sentencing Aljumely was “not straight forward”.
He added: “I have to regard the significance of your previous good character. The progress you have made over the last two years and the fact you have turned your life around.
“On the other hand, the fact you were heavily involved in the supply of Class B drugs and also on a much lesser scale Class A drugs. It is those factors I have to balance.
“You know to appreciate that drugs destroys communities. They ruin lives. I recently read from a mother who described how drugs are ripping families apart.
“You were involved in supplying drugs on a very large scale. Motivated by pure greed.”
Judge Thackray sentenced Aljumely to a total of three years in prison.